Google search gets more personal with reminders, more

May 15, 2013
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Google announced enhancements to search, including Google Now. / Google

by Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY

by Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY

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SAN FRANCISCO - As is evident at its I/O conference in San Francisco this week, Google attracts attention for Android hardware (and software), Maps software, and for a certain pair of augmented reality spectacles known as Glass. But where Google originally became a household word was in search and search is still very much at the core of what the company does.

Google's senior vice president for search Amit Singhal outlined some of the next steps in the "search engine of the future," one that he says "can answer your questions, have a conversation with you, and even give you useful things without you ever having to ask."

Google has already started delivering on that promise through Google Now, a search feature that only recently came to Apple's iOS devices, after starting out as you'd expect on Android.

At I/O, Singhal announced some potentially important enhancements to Google Now, notably reminders that appear when you need them. You'll be able to say to Google, "remind me to pick up milk when I get to Safeway" and such a reminder is supposed to appear when you get to that supermarket. Apple has built a Reminders feature in iOS and OS X as well where it can remind you of something when you arrive or leave an address.

"A note to buy milk, paper towels and food for the dog, is a lot more helpful when you're actually at the grocery store," Singhal writes in the Google blog. "Or if you're about to miss the last train home, Google Now can remind you that you better leave. And if you're interested in an upcoming book or there's a new album you're excited to listen to, Google Now will shoot you a reminder when it comes out, and even provide a recommendation."

Google also announced improvements to the so-called Knowledge Graph, Google's less than one-year-old map of people, places and things. When posing a query such as "what is the population of India?" you'll not only get the answer, but you'll also get the answers to natural follow-up questions, such as the population of China and the United States.

Arguably the most interesting development in search is in how you can increasingly approach your queries in a conversational manner, especially when you use smartphones and tablets. At I/O Singhal demonstrated conversational search through the Chrome browser on a computer.

Soon, you'll be able to just say, hands-free, "OK Google, will it be sunny in Santa Cruz this weekend?" and get a spoken answer. Then, you'll be able to continue the conversation and just follow up with "how far is it from here?" if you care about the drive or "how about Monterey?"

As Singhal conceded in an interview, not every search lends itself to the kind of succinct answer required of a conversation. "Why did the Beatles split up?' requires a deeper analysis.

"We will experiment with it. How it feels in the wild and modify as we learn more," he says. The usual Google way: "Launch and iterate."